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Jeffrey A. Sonnenfeld

  • When Should CEOs Speak Out?

    Many corporate leaders are overcoming their hesitancy about wading into divisive social issues. Prof. Jeffrey Sonnenfeld offers some guidelines for when and how business leaders should weigh in.

    A black megaphone labeled "CEO" in gold
  • Leadership Lessons for Biden after the Afghanistan Withdrawal

    Yale SOM's Jeffrey Sonnenfeld offers advice for the president on recovering from his missteps, drawn from Sonnenfeld's decades of studies of business and political leadership.

    President Joe Biden leaving the podium after speaking at the White House about the withdrawal of U.S. troops from Afghanistan.
  • The Compromise Infrastructure Bill Reflects the Public’s Priorities

    The infrastructure bill that advanced in the Senate this week doesn’t please partisans on either side. But an analysis from Yale SOM’s Jeffrey Sonnenfeld shows a rough correspondence with the objectives favored by the public in polls.

    Senator Kyrsten Sinema speaking at a news conference on July 28, 2021. Photo: Stefani Reynolds/Bloomberg via Getty Images.
  • Why Silence Is Not Golden for CEOs

    Yale SOM’s Jeffrey Sonnenfeld writes that companies have an interest in preserving democracy and other fundamental social issues, and silence is not an option for responsible CEOs.

    A wooden door with a microphone icon and "Office of the CEO" in gold
  • How George Floyd’s Murder Galvanized Corporate America

    A year after the killing sparked a wave of protest, Yale SOM leadership expert Jeffrey Sonnenfeld sees signs of a lasting change in corporate attitudes about racial justice.

    A mural of George Floyd at George Floyd Square in Minneapolis, where Floyd was murdered in June 2020. Photo by Brandon Bell/Getty Images.
  • Georgia’s Voter Suppression Law Will Be the First of Many, If CEOs Don’t Speak Up

    Yale SOM’s Jeffrey Sonnenfeld and longtime UPS executive Teri Plummer McClure write that business leaders failed to live up to their pledge to defend democracy when they largely stood silent as Georgia enacted restrictions on voting.

    Demonstrators outside the Georgia Capitol on March 2, 2021. Photo: Megan Varner/Getty Images.
  • A Peaceful Transfer of Power at Amazon

    We asked Yale SOM leadership expert Jeffrey Sonnenfeld, author of a landmark study of CEO succession, how Amazon will be changed by the departure of its founder.

    Jeff Bezos at a press conference in 2012. Photo: J. Emilio Flores/Corbis via Getty Images.
  • Can Business Leaders Be a Force for Democracy?

    In the wake of the presidential election, Yale SOM leadership expert Jeffrey Sonnenfeld hosted three urgent discussions with top CEOs, where they discussed their concern about attempts to overturn the results and made a much-reported pledge to freeze donations to legislators who voted to reject election results.

    An American flag surrounded by office towers
  • Business Leaders Are Deeply Concerned about Public Safety—and Democracy

    At a virtual meeting convened by Yale SOM leadership expert Jeffrey Sonnenfeld in the wake of the attack on the Capitol, CEOs voiced worries and brainstormed ideas for how business can help strengthen democracy.

    Police and members of the National Guard behind a fence outside the U.S. Capitol on January 7, 2021.
  • Trump’s Reluctant Goodbye

    In the final act of Donald Trump‘s presidency, Yale SOM's Jeffrey Sonnenfeld sees echoes of “monarchical” CEOs who purge truth-tellers and surround themselves with sycophants—and invariably make an involuntary exit from the C-suite.

    Marine One departing the South Lawn of the White House